Australia's vast and rugged outback is a land of awe-inspiring natural beauty, steeped in rich history and cultural significance. The continent spans a staggering 7.68 million square kilometres, an area comprising deep canyons, arid desert, lush rainforests, and stunning coastlines. Australia is home to between 600,000 and 700,000 species of wildlife, many of which are found only in Australia, making the Australian outback one of the world's most precious natural treasures.

Celebrating Australia’s wondrous wildlife species, the coin depicts (clockwise from top) a sun with beaming rays, a dingo, a python, a wolf spider, a bilby, two spinifex pigeons, a perentie, two echidnas, a blue tongued skink, two desert tree frogs, a rock wallaby, and two emus. Also in the design are representations of diverse fauna and rock formations, along with The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark and the coin’s weight, purity, and 2026 year-date.

The design encircles a round opal insert. Opal is known as Australia’s national gemstone. In ancient Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, it was created when a rainbow touched the earth. It is also known to Indigenous people as the ‘fire of the desert’. Today, Australia produces most of the world’s precious opal, which when cut and polished can be used to create some of the world’s most alluring jewellery pieces.